RIAT 2019 wish list

[borismorris]

I wish people would post things they wish for in the wish list topic instead of clogging up the main RIAT topic with their wish lists......


Yep....I'm a grumpy sod, to save anyone else saying it.

I wish you'd tell us how you really feel

[jasonT1981]

The D-Day F-15 that was revealed today would be great to see at RIAT.

[spellow3010]

The D-Day F-15 that was revealed today would be great to see at RIAT.

Surely that F-15 has to be a shoe in for static given the anniversary of both D-Day and the NATO commemoration. Unless I imagined it, I thought I saw it posted on FB that there were possibly going to be three F-15 specials. Not sure if all would be the same as already seen. I'm not local to the base, nor particularly well connected before someone tries to belittle my comment with a 'bigger nob than you' remark.

[Abbo46]

Yes, there will be three special schemes from LN. And no, they will not be the same.

[Habu]

I see Serbia on the invite list ; a J-22 would be awesome. I know given the NATO theme there's next to no chance .

[AMB]

Yes, there will be three special schemes from LN. And no, they will not be the same.

plus there a USAF C-130J-30 painted in a special D-Day scheme from 314AW at Little Rock AFB. If that didn't come to Europe for the D-Day commemorations, it would be a waste!

[flight79]

Grumman E-2C flying or static

[Airshowhammer]

Italian AMX & Tornado.

AMX in 2014 was fantastic. Not often seen also.

[Rossbeef]

AMX is a great call. I would also like to see the Slovakian or Polish Mig-29 again.

[Micky S]

I know that there is zero chance but would love to see an SU34 close up. HAs anybody on the forum ever seen one up close?

[alexanderbsmith]

I am going to the RIAT for the first time this year after Cosford in 2016, and Ayr in 2017 and 2018. Each show had two fast jets at most...and the F16 in 2017 was for me more entertaining than the Typhoon.


The Blades should be fine, but for those that are bored with too many F16s etc please let me have a number of fast jets this year at least : ). I gather a F22 won't happen but a F35 flypast would be nice.


Also a few Dakotas from the D Day event would be good to see.....

[CJS]

I wonder if this year might see the flying debut of the Scorpion.

[Airshowhammer]

Now it is being reported that BA are repainting two further 747’s in Negus and Landor liveries whats the chance we can get all 3 special schemes in a flypast or attendance? Or am I going crackers!

[Gonzo230]

Now it is being reported that BA are repainting two further 747’s in Negus and Landor liveries whats the chance we can get all 3 special schemes in a flypast or attendance? Or am I going crackers!

Crackers.

No way BA would take three 747s out of service. They haven't got that much fat in their fleet.

[capercaillie]

Mildenhall Herc and Osprey performing a flypast like they did at Sheffield

[Rossbeef]

Mildenhall Herc and Osprey performing a flypast like they did at Sheffield

Couple of Lakenheath F-15s would be a nice addition to that list!

[Brevet Cable]

Is it time to cross India and/or Pakistan off this year's list of potential attendees yet?

[spellow3010]

Is it time to cross India and/or Pakistan off this year's list of potential attendees yet?

I wouldn't go that far just yet... If they both attended, it would be okay so long as they're not parked next to each other...

I'm a little concerned at the escalation between those two nations over the last few days... Hopefully it will calm down again.

One of the BA 747s would be a nice scoop for this year's show as someone earlier mentioned. But indeed, to get all three specials would be a dream too far for me.

[MiG_Eater]

Is it realistic to expect one of the BA 747s? Surely a weekend out of work would be quite expensive! Mind you - we had the BA A380 flypast a few years back.

(I can't believe we're talking about this in relation to the biggest *military* airshow in the world!)

[aviodromefriend]

Send one in for the Friday (maybe offload a flight of passengers at Fairford and buss them to LHR, then buss a bunch of passengers to Fairford for an evening flight to wherever BA wants it to go), then repeat it on Saturday with the second special and finish it off on Sunday with the third. I have to say, a formation of all three on only one day sounds less unlikely.

[spellow3010]

Is it realistic to expect one of the BA 747s? Surely a weekend out of work would be quite expensive! Mind you - we had the BA A380 flypast a few years back.

(I can't believe we're talking about this in relation to the biggest *military* airshow in the world!)

You say that, but apart from the BA A380/Red Arrows flypast in 2013, we've also had Concorde as a regular temporary visitor down they years... A BA Boeing 777 came one year to drop some people off too. Didn't we have a DHL B757 do a spirited display one year? The 'Sukhoi Superjet' (or whatever it was called) and a BA smaller airbus of some sort visited in 2015 or 2016 was it?

It's a military airshow first and foremost, but I'll happily take the occasional civilian heavy - especially in BOAC colours!

[Tommy]

Is it realistic to expect one of the BA 747s? Surely a weekend out of work would be quite expensive! Mind you - we had the BA A380 flypast a few years back.

(I can't believe we're talking about this in relation to the biggest *military* airshow in the world!)

You say that, but apart from the BA A380/Red Arrows flypast in 2013, we've also had Concorde as a regular temporary visitor down they years... A BA Boeing 777 came one year to drop some people off too. Didn't we have a DHL B757 do a spirited display one year? The 'Sukhoi Superjet' (or whatever it was called) and a BA smaller airbus of some sort visited in 2015 or 2016 was it?

It's a military airshow first and foremost, but I'll happily take the occasional civilian heavy - especially in BOAC colours!

DHL 757/767 (one displayed on one day, the other on another) in 2012, Sukhoi Superjet in 2010 (I think that was the machine that sadly crashed a couple of years ago), we’ve also seen the likes of the aforementioned A380 in 2013, a FlyBe Embraer in 2011, and a BA A319 departed on the Sunday in 2015 IIRC.

Concorde features as one of RIAT’s most iconic moments, so civilian aircraft have featured well at RIAT over the years.

One of BA’s heritage machines would go down an absolute treat, IMO.

[Gonzo230]

Send one in for the Friday (maybe offload a flight of passengers at Fairford and buss them to LHR, then buss a bunch of passengers to Fairford for an evening flight to wherever BA wants it to go), then repeat it on Saturday with the second special and finish it off on Sunday with the third. I have to say, a formation of all three on only one day sounds less unlikely.

Non-starter I’m afraid. No way BA would even entertain having first and business class pax landing at Fairford rather than LHR, and bussing them. How to lose future custom fast! That’s even before thinking about the infrastructure and resources need to cope with a 747 full of passengers and baggage, that might be connecting on to other flights ex-LHR: Baggage handlers, Customs, Border Force etc.

[aviodromefriend]

No way BA would even entertain having first and business class pax landing at Fairford rather than LHR, and bussing them. How to lose future custom fast!

It's how you think about it. Give the passengers a quick peak of what RIAT is like, and in future years maybe a few will return to have the full experience (maybe even flying BA to the UK), then show the people around the countryside of the Cotswolds, maybe triggering them to return and enjoy it, bringing in much needed money with Brexit and Honda leaving the area.

That’s even before thinking about the infrastructure and resources need to cope with a 747 full of passengers and baggage, that might be connecting on to other flights ex-LHR: Baggage handlers, Customs, Border Force etc.

747s aren't strangers to Fairford, we've had them displaying in the past by some Asian airline, Obama brought two of them (although officially called VC-25, but when the machines came from the line at the Boeing factory, they were 747s) in the latter days of his second term (and I doubt if the people they had on board didn't have bagage with them). Customs and Border Force are already at the Flight Center because of the show.

[Gonzo230]

The BOAC 747 has 14 First, 86 Business, 30 Premium Econ, and 145 Econ seats. That’s 275 at capacity. Let’s say 85% load factor, so 220 passengers. I really don’t think Customs/Border Force in the Flight Centre is equipped to deal with that number of passengers. Also, where do 220 bags get deposited, and how do they get there? Of those 220 pax, probably 15 at most will be mildly interested in aviation, and might find a visit to an airshow interesting, if they had decided to visit an airshow, rather than being forced to do so. The other 200 will be mightily annoyed by missing their connections, or meetings in London, or taxis, or trains/buses that might have already been booked and paid for from LHR. Arbitrarily deciding to divert into RAF Fairford isn’t a very ‘premium’ experience.

It might even trigger EU 261 compensation! It most certainly would if you operated a commercial service out of Fairford.

Of course Fairford can cope with an aircraft the size of a 747, I wasn’t referring to that, I was talking about all the other stuff that’s needed to operate a commercial 747 service into/out of Fairford, especially during a major airshow. Air Force One is handled by the USAF, has nowhere near 200 people on board, and most of the baggage on board will be reunited with those on board at accommodation later that night, so there’s no rush, get rather than being presented as soon as possible to impatient passengers.